He glances to the bottles on the counter. “How about a sparkling wine drinking contest and a few episodes of The Office to take your mind off things?”

My smile is one of joy and relief. He knows me so well. I blink away the tears and nod. “That sounds perfect.”

We each grab a bottle, pop the corks off, then settle on the couch. Lemon crawls out from under the coffee table and hops on my lap.

“Hey, my girl.” I pat her pregnant tummy as Callum powers on the TV. “How has she been this past week with you and Finn? She looks like she’s ready to pop.”

“She’s made herself right at home. She’s even started sleeping in Finn’s bed with him.”

“Good thing Finn doesn’t hate cats.”

“He’s got a soft spot for them, just like me.”

I down a sip of the wine. “How did you explain the arrangement with the cat? You know, since we’re still keeping you and me under wraps.”

Callum stares at the TV screen, jaw tight. “I told him I’m fostering cats from the vet’s office periodically.” He clears his throat. “He seems to buy it.”

“I’m so glad,” I say quietly.

Episodes queued up, we settle into our go-to position on the couch: Callum in the corner, me cuddled under his arm, Lemon tucked between us. We make it two episodes before both of our bottles are nearly empty. I sneak a glance at Callum, and my heart thuds.

Perfection.

It’s the one word I’ve been searching for all day—these past few days actually. Every day I’ve been without Callum, it’s felt like something is missing. But now that we’re together, it’s clear. He’s my lost piece. When I’m with him, everything’s right. Everything’s perfect.

Picking up Lemon with my free hand, I deposit her on the other end of the couch. Then I swipe Callum’s bottle from him and set both of the bottles on the coffee table.

“What are you . . .” He loses the rest of his words when I quietly straddle his lap.

A dizzy spell from the wine hits me, but I steady myself with both of my hands on his shoulders. His eyes lock with mine, and before he can say anything else, my mouth is on his.

It’s another breathless, desperate kiss, just like all our other ones. But for me, at least, it feels different. For me it’s a silent acknowledgment that after tonight things may change. After tonight, it’s only two days until the festival. After that he’s headed back to Chicago. For sure there will be disappointment and stress, maybe hurt feelings, maybe even anger.